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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. kid — to tease
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. staff — a stick
  5. fine — all right
  6. track — a path
  7. plane — a tool
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. track — a song
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. track — to keep track
  14. press — newspapers
  15. staff — employees
  16. press — a publisher
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. kid — child
  19. press — to push
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — high quality
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. staff — employees
  24. calf — a young animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com